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Halo 2/3 Book Posted, Pages 342-345. Page 351: Sequel Revealed

September 9, 2006- Halo: The Ark is officially available online for everyone to read. There will be several websites hosting them, and each additional one will be added to this list here. The Ark is also in this thread, from pages 342-345. Feel free to read them and post in this thread.
The cover/concept art is also available for anyone who wants to see it. Just follow these links:
[url=http://img370.imageshack.us/my.php?image=halocoverartfromjoeslayergk8.png]Cover art by JoeSlayer[/url]
[url=http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sb2copygi6tc1.jpg]Back cover art by JoeSlayer[/url]
[url=http://img201.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dandonahueconceptartvn0.png]Concept cover art by Dan Donahue[/url]
[url=http://img224.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bookcoveroh0.jpg]Concept art by Paul[/url]
[u]Here is the list of websites hosting Halo: The Ark[/u]
[url=http://game-spectrum.com/news/entertainment/halo_the_ark.html]Game Spectrum[/url]
Nov 17th, 2005- by now, there are 30 chapters of the book posted. if you dont want to look through this entire thread for them, click the link in my signature, it will take you to my official site, where all the chapters are posted.
May 17, 2006- Work on the book has come to a halt as all editing (professional) has been done. There is work currently being done to get The Ark published, hopefully by TOR. Any questions about the book can be asked here, and i will answer them as promptly as possible. This is not an official bungie project.
Click [url=http://www.archive.org/download/The_Ark/theark.pdf]Here[ /url] to download a pdf version of it. Actually, right click and save, otherwise it won't work.
The following material is the original post from way back when, so if you're looking for the more recent stuff (that has been modified from reading the beginning works), please visit my website, which is in my signature, or click the link above to download a pdf version of it. Please do not ask for the last chapters, as i will not send them to you. Any and all news will be posted whenever it comes up, and i will say so in the subject heading, with the appropriate page number and date. Chapters are generally posted weekly, though i discuss each chapter's release date beforehand so confusion does not ensue.
If anyone knows anything about the Halo 2 book, or what comes after it, let me know. Cause if nothing's happening with it, im gonna write it. Here's the prelude to halo 3(?)...
Prologue
Ninth Age of Reclamation/First age of Rebirth
Yielding Righteousness/ Current Flagship
The doors opened as the Arbiter walked into the Grand Chamber, seeing rows of his brethren. His Sangheili. They all uniformly bowed down on one knee, their heads to facing the ground. The Arbiter turned to his Spec-ops captain, now the general of the armies, and said, “You never told me there would be this many.”
“I thought you would like being surprised, Arbiter.” He showed a grin, at least as best a Sangheili could.
They started walking through the main aisle, with an honor guard walking behind them as protection. The Arbiter felt that the presence of the honor guards was not necessary, but understood the honor they must feel to be here, especially now. Walking past each new row allowed all to stand in that row, which alerted the Arbiter of some discrepancy. He turned his head left, and saw several rows of Lekgolo, their massive bodies gracefully rising as he passed. And further ahead, even more rows were filled with the small Unggoy, who fidgeted even while trying to keep their composer. And they all were bowing.
He looked back at the Lekgolo, shocked at the amount of them in one room. He had never seen so many, and they could easily overpower the entire ship if they wanted to, but they also didn’t carry their normal weaponry, which attached directly to their arms. The Arbiter forced himself to look away so not to draw attention to himself in any negative aspect, for it could ruin his purpose here today.
They climbed the ramp up to the stage, where the honor guard behind them went to the right side of him, and to the left he saw another waiting for his arrival. The Arbiter went to the front of the stage, and the Captain/General stayed behind several steps. He looked upon the crowd, understanding that the future may rest upon their shoulders.
The chamber had fallen dead silent now, and the Arbiter scanned the room once more. He stood tall and came to the very edge of the stage. “As you all know, I am the Arbiter. I have been chosen for this… this honor, by our previous leaders. However, there may be those among you who believe that their word is heresy, regardless of when it was said. And because of my rank, my position, I will become the leader of our group, our new covenant. If anyone disagrees with my appointment as the Arbiter, speak now.”
The chamber stayed noiseless, but faces animated and expressions came to color. The Arbiter looked back to his Captain/General, who nodded to him. Suddenly, one Sangheili stepped out of his row, and yelled, “Long live the Arbiter!” As the Arbiter turned back to his audience, he found that he was deafened by the cheering of his name. A wave of relief struck him, and he held his hands to show silence was required. Moments later, it was so.
“You all honor me with this privilege, yet I must postpone our celebration for another time. This meeting is one of urgency, where three important things must be discussed. The first of which being the creating of a new Grand Council. After this meeting, all not stationed upon the Yielding Righteousness are to return to their home planets to decide on the council members.”
“Our next goal will be to secure as many Huragok as possible. They are a necessity on every ship, world, and army. If we can take many away from the Prophets, it will give us a strategic advantage against them. They will undoubtedly be attempting the same, but we cannot allow them to take any Huragok, or the upper hand will be theirs. Do not forget their usefulness, even in the heat of battle.”
The Arbiter sighed, and looked up at the lights, then directly into the holocron monitor, which was projecting his face among countless worlds. “The final article is something that has come into my thoughts several times during these past few days, something I would like express to you. The Prophets have always asked each race to join the covenant, or even allow them honorable submission, but not the Humans. These Humans are a strange race, yet nothing about them is notable in any sense with the exception to the demon. Regardless, it makes no sense for the Prophets to ‘fear’ these Humans. But I understand why they do. I have fought and killed them, as well as fought beside them as allies.” Whispers appeared throughout the room, and the Arbiter raised his voice to overrun them.
“Wait!”, he yelled, and the chamber’s only sound was the Arbiter’s echoing voice. “Through my experience with these Humans, they fight with the same honor we would, use clever tactics as we do, and will die for victory if necessary. And now that we are not at the prophet’s side to protect them, they have much to fear of the Humans!”
Cheers wailed throughout the room, and a group of Unggoy began jumping up and clapping. The Arbiter allowed the crowd to settle down by themselves before speaking again. “From now on, if you should see a Jiralhanae, Yanme, Kig-yar, or a Prophet, you are to conquer them, and show them who truly is strong.” He smiled as best a Sangheili could. “Even more so for the Kig-yar, if you know what I mean.” Laughter broke out, especially through the rows of Unggoy.
The Arbiter walked off the stage, followed closely by both honor guards and his Captain/General. Suddenly the laughter turned to applause, as the Unggoy yelled, and the Lekgolo and Sangheili bowed again to one knee. The Unggoy followed suit quickly. With each passed row, the rising covenant would chant “Long live the Arbiter!”
The Captain/General whispered gently to the Arbiter as they walked down the aisle, “ It would seen that you left a good impression with the covenant.”
“No, we are not the Covenant anymore. We are the Preeminent."
If you guys like this, let me know, I have about 10 more pages written, in no partucular order, and can post them if anyone wants to read them.
[Edited on 12/17/2006]

ALRIGHT! here's the second installment of the story. I'll probably update this one in a day or two, because i just have to edit the second part of it. Enjoy.
Nudging the clip into his BR55 rifle, Fred looked out from the dropship, staring blankly into the spectacle only a few hundred miles above him. Some ships explosions shone brighter than the sun, but only for a brief moment, not willing to take away its glory.
The Pelican made a sharp right, making him grab the railing above, and moving several bags of assorted armaments the Spartans had taken along. A sack holding a Jackhammer rocket launcher and at least eight rockets started slipping, only to be forced back by a mighty grasp. Linda looked up at Will, clutching the bag. “I wanna keep these near me at all times.”
Fred smiled as he turned, even though he knew neither of them could see it. But he also knew that they were smiling as well. Yet as he looked at the roomy interior of the Pelican, his smile dissipated, as he remembered how only a month ago, or about three weeks according to real time, he commanded a Pelican filled with Spartans. Now, only the three of them, the Master Chief, and Kelly were all that was left of the Spartans.
The time distorting phenomenon that occurred due to the crystal they found on Reach was excessively puzzling, or maybe it’s just me, thought Fred. Even Cortana had only theories, which she herself said showed no promising data. Only Doctor Halsey seemed to understand how it worked, but she never mentioned it to anyone.
What he was really worried about was whether the crystal was destroyed or not. Fred understood why they had to leave it, because it warped Slipspace and sent out a signal the Covenant could track, but he couldn’t help but wonder what the Covenant could do with it. If they knew how to use it, couldn’t they just send a few ships back a couple hundred years ago and wipe out humanity?
Fred shook his head, knowing that this wasn’t the time to be figuring out their fates. “Status report”, he radioed to both the pilots and his Spartans.
“We have dust-off in one minute, chief.”
Two acknowledgement lights blinked on his HUD. Fred turned to Linda. “I want you on sniping duty. I don’t want anything non-human able to count to three before getting its head blown off. Will, take the Jackhammer and its ammo, as well as the Lotus tank mines. Set them up immediately after dust-off.”
“Why does he get all the fun?” After mopping up the remaining Covenant from the first attack, everybody lightened up. Even Will, who was usually quiet. But their fun was short lived, as a transmission cut through.
“This is Major General Nicholas Strauss calling all Spartans, over.”
Surprised, Fred snapped a look at will and Linda, then keyed in a reply. “This is Spartan 104 reporting, sir.”
“Good. Chief, I’m gonna be frank with you. Our intel suggests an unclassified ship headed to your area. We know it’s full of some important Covenant figures, and there are incoming dropships from all vectors to your position. I don’t know or care what they want, but I want you to give them a warm welcome. Any questions?”
“Yes sit. Estimated amount of resistance?”
The signal broke out into static as they leaped from the Pelican. “I’m sure there’ll be enough for you to have fun. We’ll give you air support and are sending more troops to you.
“Acknowledged.”
“Oh, and one more thing, chief. The Master Chief is aboard that ship, so don’t fire at everything that comes out of that ship. Strauss out.”
Fred stopped, and quickly turned around to see if the others had heard. Acknowledgement lights blinked, and he tapped his helmet twice and pointed up. Their suits communication system searched for another Spartan signal, and found John's.
“Sorry Master Chief, but you’re already coming in. You’ll hit atmosphere in 30 seconds. Grab hold of something steady and good luck. Admiral Hood out.”
Fred looked back at Will and Linda, figuring out what exactly was happening. “Send an Acknowledgement signal to John; let him know we’re here. Linda, go over to Nav Alpha and set up camp there. Will, go over to Nav Beta and do the same. I want this area secure before the Covenant land.”
[Edited on 12/21/2004 12:23:35 AM]

[quote]remember though that fred doesn't call the master chief, master chief in his thoughts.[/quote]
Yeah. They usually refer to him as John in their touhgts. And the Spartans are usually introduced by their numbered names the first time, ie) SPARTAN-117.
Keep up the awesome work!

just to let you know, all of the covenant names are in one of the booklets in halo 2 packaging. anyways, brutes are jiralhanae, drone=yanme, elite=sangheili, engineer=huragok, grunt=unggoy,hunter=lekgolo, jackal=kig-yar, and prophet, strangely enough, is still a prophet.
btw, i will change how the rest of the spartans call john "john" as opposed to master chief in their thoughts, cause thats right, i just didn't remember it during editing. oh well, here's the next scene, and it goes with the last one.
The Master Chief hung onto the nearest wall, souring through Slipspace or the Forerunner ship the Prophets had taken from Delta Halo. He barely made it onto the ship, and could only hope that it wasn’t headed for Earth. But because the Covenant knew Earth’s location, the chief knew his hopes were in vain.
The space outside returned to normal, indicating that they had left Slipspace. But looking outside gave no comfort, as hundreds of Covenant and UNSC battleships fired at each other, and even more floated dead in space.
His suit’s radio flickered to life, and a marine’s voice came through. “I’ve got a new contact, unknown classification.”
“It isn’t one of ours. Take it out.” It was Fleet Admiral Sir Terrence Hood, who was undoubtedly still on the Cairo super Mac station, which the chief saw in the distance.
“This is Spartan 117. Can anyone hear me? Over.”
There was a brief pause, and the Admiral’s voice came over the comm. again. “Master Chief, you mind telling me what you’re doing on that ship?”
“Sir, finishing this fight.”
“Aye aye, chief. Marine, cancel all firing on that vessel. Master Chief, what is your status?”
“Sir, the leader of the Covenant is onboard this ship, in search of something they consider to be a spiritual item. I have no information on it, but I do know that this ship is full of honor guards with upgraded weaponry and shields.”
“Hmmm, an interesting turn of events. Alright Chief, here’s your new mission. I want you to capture that leader of theirs. This completely scratches your original mission if you succeed. And find out what this thing their searching for is.”
“Sir, with all due respect, this ship should not be allowed to land.”
“Sorry Chief, but you’re already coming in. You’ll hit atmosphere in 30 seconds. Grab hold of something steady and good luck. Admiral Hood out.”
The Master Chief braced for impact, and waited. His heads up display popped up on his helmet’s screen, and he saw three acknowledgement lights blinking, each on by another member of his team. A big smile broke out on his face, only to be forced away by ship’s violent shaking from Earth’s atmosphere. Barely holding on, he continued to stare at his HUD, barely noticing the outside battle.
He sent a reply message, his own acknowledgement signal, to let them know he was there for them, and was coming to help. All he had wanted to do since he left Earth only a few days ago was lead his team into battle, and it seemed that he might get that chance.
The ship shook again, tossing his body onto the ceiling, making a very loud thud, and waking the chief. He didn’t even get a chance to sleep, and in the one moment of thought, he fell asleep, only to be rudely awakened. After two days of intense fighting, and only a few short breaks for stimulants, the Chief deserved a few hours of sleep, but didn’t take minutes. He always insisted to stay on duty, never showing any weakness. But the bags under his eyes grew heavier by the minute, and at the moment, nothing could possibly hurt him.
So he placed his gun on the floor, now that gravity was back, and he sat down, resting his head on the wall. He figured it would take at least five minutes to land, so he closed his eyes, remember how his old CPO Chief Mendez used to tell them, “You can sleep when you’re dead. But if you’re hand can’t hold a gun up straight, your as good as dead. So get some rest.”

They're all right. You really need to reword alotta stuff, puntuation, etc. I can understand if thats your draft, however, I highly suggest having someone editing or proofreading for you. I don't read the Halo books and I don't know how they are written, but it seems you are on the right track. Read some good books like Band of Brothers, or some other WWII stuff. ;P. Nice job so far though.